Globetrotting jockey Bernard Fayd’herbe booted home a nice double at Durbanville on Saturday and now returns to Dubai for Saturday’s World Cup meeting where he is scheduled to ride Majestic Mambo and Marinaresco for Mike de Kock.
Dubai to Durbanville for any professional jockey would probably be the equivalent of David ‘Golden Balls’ Beckham playing at Wembley one week and then back to the Chase Lane Primary School field of his youth in Leytonstone near London the next.
Shortly before winning the last race, Bernard Faydéherbe (orange cap) chats to Anthony Andrews, with Greg Cheyne to his right. Liam Tarentaal is in the all pink. (Pic – Chase Liebenberg Photography)
But like the consummate professional that he is, Fayd’herbe didn’t take the day off to sun himself on Clifton fourth – he was hard at work at Durbanville where he rode two winners from his seven chances.
Fayd’herbe’s first winner would have had Joey Ramsden smiling from ear to ear. It’s been close on two years since the Oratorio gelding Ancestry had won as a 2yo, and finished within a whisker of Purple Diamond on July day 2017 – when failing to capture a big win in the Gr2 Golden Horseshoe.
Trying 2400m for the second time in his career, the handsome 4yo was relaxed early and stormed through under Fayd’herbe to win the MR 77 Handicap. With the staying ranks generally lacking stars and any depth, this could mean a well deserved revival for the Avontuur bred gelding.
Flashback to July 2017 – Ancestry is pipped by Purple Diamond in the Gr2 Golden Horseshoe (Pic – Gold Circle)
He is out of the lionhearted stakes winning D Cohen & Sons bred Windrush bay A Daughter’s Legacy who scored eight wins from thirty starts for R700 000 in prize money.
With a draw against the paint, Icon Princess was easy to back at 7’s in the final race, and she was guided by Fayd’herbe to a smooth victory as the dogged front-runner Pippielangkous plugged away and stayed on for second.
Trained by Mike Stewart, the Riverton Stud bred Icon Princess has won two of three starts and could go on to outpoint her promising older brother Icon King (Rebel King) who hailed from the same yard. The latter only won three races after promising plenty early on.
So now for Meydan.
